PARIS — France’s prime minister has ordered local authorities to impose partial curfews on Monday evening, after a weekend of rioting and looting in cities across the country.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he had asked prefects to put “very limited” and “localized” curfews in place in cities where they are needed, speaking after an emergency meeting with top government officials, according to the Associated Press.
Lecornu told reporters he was “fully resolved to restoring public order,” according to Reuters. He said a state of emergency remained possible if it was deemed necessary — “we could do so” — but that at this stage partial curfews seemed “more appropriate.”
“These curfews must be local and partial. It is out of the question to put all of Paris under curfew,” Lecornu said, according to Reuters. He did not say which cities would impose curfews or what form they would take.
In Marseille, officials banned all gatherings and demonstrations from midday until 8 p.m. on Monday ahead of any further flare-ups, according to CNN.
The announcement follows two nights of violence that began with nationwide protests on Saturday against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. Groups set fires to trash bins, bicycles and other objects in the streets and looted businesses in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities, and at least 2,400 people were arrested across the country, according to the Associated Press.
“On Saturday, despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, no one was killed, and that is a miracle,” Lecornu said, according to the Associated Press, defending police officers who faced violent groups.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters at the same press conference that there were no plans to cancel Tuesday evening’s Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona soccer match, according to Reuters.
The curfew order came hours after President Emmanuel Macron declined Nunez’s offer to resign over the unrest. Macron asked him to stay “given the need for continued command of law enforcement in the current context,” his office said in a statement, and instructed him to ensure full transparency about the planning and intelligence failures that led to the violence.
On Sunday evening, Macron condemned the looting and vowed consequences. “Those who destroyed must pay,” he said, according to CNN. “Those who looted must pay back.”
The mayors of France’s biggest cities demanded answers from the government on Monday over what they called a lack of preparation by security forces, according to Reuters.
The protests followed weeks of student demonstrations with occasional street violence, and the unrest comes six months before France’s next presidential election, amid pressure over a weak economy and surging debt, according to Reuters.
Also Read: Macron Announces Aid and Security Review After French Unrest
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